Tasting Notes

Blend Information

100% Sauvignon Blanc

Food Suggestions

Serve slightly chilled on its own or withgrilled white meat, fish and seafooddishes such as stir fried calamari.

In The Vineyard

The Vineyard (Vineyard Consultant: Henk van Graan)
The winter preceding the 2016 vintage was cold with slightly less rainfall than usual and the crucial flavour producing ripening period for Sauvignon blanc grapes was warm and dry, resulting in very healthy, small berries and concentrated flavour. The grapes were sourced from blocks situated on the hills facing the cellar as well as blocks on the cooler inside of the valley. This careful selection was made to ensure a blend of intense tropical flavours and a strong mouthfeel.

About The Harvest

The grapes were picked in February at between 22.5° and 23° Balling.

In The Cellar

After four hours' skin contact in specially designed stainless steel separators, the juice was drained and cold-settled for 48 hours. Slow fermentation at 11º - 14ºC was followed by a short period of lees contact with the wine being racked and blended shortly before bottling.

Nine leading vineyard owners in the Durbanville district joined forces with Distell to create Durbanville Hills with the aim of promoting the regional individuality of this prime wine-growing area. The striking Durbanville Hills cellar sits on the side of a series of rolling hills with magnificent views of Table Mountain and Table Bay - the very geography that lies at the heart of what makes the wines so unique.

The Durbanville ward is considered one of the Cape’s coolest wine regions, thanks to the sea breezes that drift inland from False Bay and Table Bay and the late afternoon mists that bathe the slopes. These conditions are ideal for the slow ripening of the grapes, allowing them to develop their full-flavoured, intense character. Grapes are sourced only from the shareholder- growers, all of whom farm within the limited appellation of Durbanville. Meticulous canopy management promotes concentration of varietal flavour.

Cellar master Martin Moore uses sustainable practices, which include maintaining the disciplines imposed by International Environmental Standard ISO 140001 such as in the treatment of waste water back to irrigation quality and all vineyards subscribing to IPW (Integrated Production of Wine) growing practices, designed to sustain natural resources. In addition, the farmers protect on their farms 320 ha of endangered Renosterveld as part of the Biodiversity Wine Initiative (BWI). The Rhinofields range is named after this indigenous Renosterveld growing close to the Durbanville Hills cellar which is a conserved area.